High court considering Arkansas alcohol measure LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A lawyer for the group challenging a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize alcohol sales statewide told Arkansas' highest court Thursday that the secretary of state should have opened his office on Independence Day to process petitions and avoid missing a key deadline. Citizens for Local Rights argues that petitions in support of the measure are invalid because they were accepted the next business day. Under ...

City Council takes no action on Alliance funding suspensionThe Russellville City Council took no action during Thursday’s special meeting which centered around the organization responsible for economic development, and a request to suspend funding from the city which totals nearly $150,000 annually. The sole topic of the called meeting was funding for the Arkansas Valley Alliance for Economic Development (AVAED). Before and after discussion that lasted an hour — sometimes heated and loud — Alderwoman ...

Cotton raises $3.8M in 3rd quarter for Senate bid LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton's campaign on Tuesday said he's raised nearly $4 million over the past three months as he heads into the final weeks of his bid for a U.S. Senate seat. Cotton's campaign said the freshman lawmaker raised $3.8 million during the third quarter. Cotton is seeking to unseat Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor, who's running for a third term. Pryor has not yet announced how much he raised during th...

Ross, Hutchinson trade jabs on tax cuts, wage hike LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Republican gubernatorial hopeful Asa Hutchinson derided Democratic rival Mike Ross' tax cut plan as "pie in the sky," while Ross accused Hutchinson of acting like a "slick lawyer" in his support for a minimum wage hike as the two squared off in a debate Tuesday. The two ex-congressmen traded jabs over a range of issues as they met for their second televised debate of the heated and expensive Arkansas governor's race. The two...

Couples ask Arkansas court to strike marriage ban LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Attorneys for gay couples challenging Arkansas' same-sex marriage ban told the state's highest court on Tuesday that the U.S. Supreme Court signaled it agrees with their argument that such prohibitions are unconstitutional by declining to take up similar cases. The 20 couples asked the Arkansas Supreme Court to uphold Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza's ruling striking down a 2004 constitutional amendment and earlier...

Bill Clinton rallies Arkansas college students FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton returned to his old haunts of northwestern Arkansas on Tuesday and implored college students to support Democrats at risk of losing what's left of the political power they have held since Reconstruction. Next to the building where he once taught law, Clinton challenged students at the University of Arkansas to turn out for an election without a big national race. "The polls that show us in trou...

AG candidate files voter registration Republican Arkansas attorney general candidate Leslie Rutledge on Friday filed "under protest" her voter registration application with the Arkansas secretary of state's office after her name was removed from voter rolls earlier this week. Pulaski County Clerk Larry Crane announced Wednesday that he had canceled Rutledge's registration because she was registered to vote in Washington, D.C., and Virginia. He also said Rutledge would have to re-r...

Ross unveils plan aimed at equal pay in workplace LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Mike Ross unveiled a plan Friday aimed at ensuring equal pay for women in the workplace, saying he's confident such a proposal could gain support from Republican state lawmakers. Ross was joined Friday by his wife, daughter and current first lady Ginger Beebe to announce his fair pay proposal, which calls for strengthening state law to prevent retaliation against workers who discuss their wag...

Lawmakers urge safeguards to stop Ebola spread LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Members of Arkansas' House delegation have sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging his administration to take more steps to protect Americans against the spread of the Ebola virus. Republican congressmen Rick Crawford, Tim Griffin, Steve Womack and Tom Cotton want the administration to consider implementing travel restrictions on countries affected by the virus and enforce immigration policies. Friday's letter also ex...

Political signs of the timesAs anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past few months knows, it's election season. With it comes advertising of all kinds from candidates anxious for voters to receive their message. Arkansas has seen more than its fair share of political ads this season. Although its the 32nd largest state in the union, Arkansas has been blitzed with more political ads than most other states. More than 38,000 ads — roughly $7 per voter — have ...

Clerk won't reinstate Rutledge's registration LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A local election official in Arkansas said Thursday he won't reverse his decision to cancel Republican attorney general hopeful Leslie Rutledge's voter registration over her being on voter rolls out of state, telling the GOP candidate she'll have to re-register. An attorney for Pulaski County told Rutledge in a letter that Clerk Larry Crane "respectfully declines" her request from earlier that day to withdraw his decision to...

Ex-agency official pleads guilty in bribery scheme LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A former deputy director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services has pleaded guilty to providing official assistance in exchange for bribes from the owner of two mental health companies. Federal officials announced Thursday that Steven B. Jones, 29, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery charges. Jones, of Marion, will be sentenced April 2, 2015. According to his plea agreement, Jones solicited and accepted multip...

Master opens hearing in wage increase lawsuit LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A lawyer for a Little Rock businessman who hopes to strike a minimum wage increase from next month's ballot told a special master for the state Supreme Court on Thursday that a "sloppy process" doomed the idea from the start. David Sterling, representing businessman Jackson T. Stephens Jr., said a proposal to raise the minimum wage from $6.25 to $8.50 per hour by 2017 shouldn't go before voters. He said the Secretary of Stat...

Justices weigh Arkansas voter ID requirement LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Supreme Court justices on Thursday questioned whether the state's constitution allows for requiring voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot as they heard arguments on whether the voter ID law should be upheld. The hearing came a little over two weeks before early voting begins for the November election. A Pulaski County judge struck down the 2013 law as unconstitutional in May, but suspended his ...

Group suing Greenwood over annexation proposal GREENWOOD (AP) — A homeowners group in a western Arkansas city is asking a court to remove an annexation proposal from the November ballot. The Shadow Lake Estates Property Owners Association is suing the city of Greenwood, the Times Record reported. The suit claims the city didn't follow required steps related to the annexation proposal and showed favoritism to certain property owners by excluding them from being added to Greenwood. The plain...

Arkansas sees revenue drop in September LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas finance officials say the state's revenue in September dipped below expectations by nearly $10 million. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration said Thursday that net available revenue in September totaled $520.7 million. That's $2.1 million below the same month last year and $9.7 million below the state's forecast. Finance officials say a drop in sales tax collections accounted for $8.1 million of the...

Court sets oral arguments in Saline County case LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for Oct. 23 in a lawsuit that seeks to place a measure on the November ballot that would legalize alcohol sales in Saline County. Circuit Judge Grisham Phillips ruled last month that a petition to place alcohol sales on the November ballot in Saline County fell short by nearly 90 signatures. Phillips had disqualified 159 signatures. A group called Our Community, Our Dol...

Clerk cancels AG candidate's voter registration LITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas election official said Wednesday he removed Republican attorney general hopeful Leslie Rutledge from the voter rolls because she also is registered to vote in Washington, D.C., a move the GOP candidate denounced as politically motivated. Pulaski County Clerk Larry Crane, a Democrat, said he canceled Rutledge's voter registration after his office learned she is registered to vote "in at least one other jurisdictio...

Beebe names special justice for gay marriage case LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Gov. Mike Beebe has named a retired judge from Harrison to fill in as a special justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court in the lawsuit challenging the state's gay marriage ban. Beebe on Wednesday named retired Judge Robert W. McCorkindale to serve on the court as it considers whether to uphold the 2004 constitutional amendment and earlier state law defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Ch...

Hong Kong protesters threaten to occupy buildings HONG KONG (AP) — Raising the stakes in their standoff with the authorities, Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters threatened to occupy key government buildings unless the territory's top official resigns by the end of the day Thursday. The Chinese government, meanwhile, appeared to be losing patience. An editorial solemnly read Wednesday on state TV said all Hong Kong residents should support authorities in their efforts to "deploy police enfor...